Couch.



J. HOEY.

UOUGH. APPLIUATION FILED SEPT. as, 1910.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

2 Simms-snm 1.

COLUMBIA vLAmraRlumI to.. wASHlNaToN. n c.

JOHN HOEY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

COUCH.

Specification ofiLetters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1912.

Application filed September 28, 1910. Serial No. 584,280.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it lknown that I, JOHN HOEY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the cit-y and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Couches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in couches.

lt consists in the combinat-ion of mechanism and in details of construction whereby parts of the couch may be so transposed as to transform it into a bed, and vice versa.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is an end view of couch with seat and back in normal positions. Fig. 2 shows the back horizontal and seat vertical Opreparatory to extending. Fig. 3 shows the parts extended to form a bed. Figs. 4L to 7 inclusive are sections illustrating the various positions of the parts.

The drawings and specification herein illustrate a means by which the movements and transformations are effected; but these may be modied without materially altering the character of the invention.

A is a base upon which the seat portion B and the portion C, which alternately forms a back for the couch or a portion for a bed, are supported. The part A is here represented in the form of a box, the central portion of which may serve for the reception of bedclothing and other articles necessary for a bed and not required when the apparatus is in the form of a couch. The parts B and C are hinged together, as shown at 2. The devices are located at each end of the box and preferably inclosed in narrow chambers to separate the mechanism from the central containing portion of the box. Any suit able means for providing the necessary strength of the hinge attachments may be employed. In the present case I have shown heavy plates fixed tc the portions B and C and having sufficient strength to resist such strains as may be brought upon the parts.

8 is a rocker, one of which is located at each end of the couch. These rockers are conneucted by rods or bars 4 with the hinges 2, and the radius of curvature of the roc-kers is about this hinge 2 as a center. Straps 5 have one end of each lixed to opposite ends of the rocker, and the other end is extended along the bottom of the part A and xed, Vas

hOWn at 6, The rockers are sutliieientlywide to receive two of these straps, one being fastened at one end of the rocker and the other to the opposite end, and the two lit the curved surface of the rocker side by side, the rocker being sutliciently thick for this purpose. The opposite ends being fixed at 6, it will be seen that by reason of the flexibility of the straps 5 the rocker may rock upon its curved surface, and the straps will alternately wind and unwind upon this surface and by reason of their opposite ends being fixed the rockers cannot slide during the movements of the parts of the couch.

7 is a distance-rod, of which there is one at each end in conjunction with the other parts of the apparatus. One end of each of these rods is pivoted to the part C, as shown at 8, and the other end is pivoted to the part A, as shown at 9.

Arms 16 have one end of each fixed to or formed with the corresponding ends of the end frames C of the hinges and projecting substantially in line therewith so that their outer ends lie approximately in line with the end frames B as shown. Arms or links 10 have one end pivoted to the ends of the arms 16 and then opposite ends extend into line with the arms B and are notched or adapted to engage with pins 17 fixed to the arms B so that when the frames are tilted to a position as shown in Fig..2 the notches in the arms 10 engage with the pins 17, the two frames B and C will be locked to maintain their relative position, here shown at right angles. When so locked the link 10 stands at such an angle with its pivot bar, and the frame B, that the engagement of the latch will be maintained by gravitation and will thus retain these parts Aof the couch in such position that access may be had to the interior of the box A as plainly shown in Fig. 2. One side of the notches 12 of the link 10 are so beveled or inclined that they will easily slide upon the pins 17 and thus allow the part B to be tilted toward the part C and the links 10 will the'n fall forward until they are disengaged frein the pins 17. Guides 18 limit the movements of the links which will then incline in a direction away from the pins. lf then the frame B is moved back to let it down into a horizontal position and parallel with the part C, the links 10 will remain by gravitation inclined away from the pins 17 until the notches 12 have passed the pin and the frame B .is free to continue its downward movement. It

- tain their engagement with the pins 17 after will be seen that by reason of this position of the links 10, they will incline so as to rethe frames have been moved from the.po sition shown in Fig. 1 to that shown in Fig. 2 by gravitation and by slightly tilting the frame B toward the frame C, the links will fall out of engagement with the pins and remain disengaged by gravitation so that the part B can be let down slowly and without any sudden movement, before the links will again drop forward and when they do so fall they will rest upon the pins below the notches and thus slide freely while the part B is lowered to its horizontal position. Thus the hinge and the two parts of attachment of the latch-bar form a brace at each end which is sufcient to retain the back in its vertical position under the conditions of use as a couch.

Vhen the couch is in the position shown in Fig. l, the part B lies horizont-ally, the party C stands vertically, the notch 12 of the bar 10 is engaged with the latch or pin 17 and the rockers 3 are turned backwardly until the rear end of the curvature rests substantially upon the bottom of the box A. The bars 7 will stand substantially vertical between their attachments 8 and 9, and the rockers are prevented from the tendency to rock forwardly by small elevations or shoulders 15, fixed in the bottom of the box A. These conditions prevailing, and it being desired to convert the couch into a bed, the part B is drawn forward and slightly lifted at the same time, the part C counterbalancing it in such a maner that the movement is easy. The first forward movement of the part B causes the rockers 3 to rock over the elevations 15 and by reason of the radial arms 4t, fixed to the rockers and pivoted upon the hinges 2, the rocker-arms will rock upon their curved surfaces the straps 5 preventing any sliding movement of the rockers during this movement. The distance-rods 7 at the same time move about the pivotal points 9, and thus the tendency will be to tilt and mpve the structure B and C about its bearers 3 as the latter rock forwardly and to eventually bring the part C down into a horizontal position. The whole of this portion of the structure will then be advanced, so that the junction of the parts B and C lies substantially central abovethe part A, as shown in Fig. 2. It is then desirable to disengage the latch-bar 10 from its latching point or shoulder 13, and this is effected by first moving the part B about the hinge 2, so as to disengage the notches 12 of the latch-bars 10 from the latches or shoulders 17, as previously described. Then five cents Washngtb by a slow forward movement of the part B the notch 12 will be caused to pass the latch or pin 17 and the bars 10 will then rest and be slidable upon the pins 17, so ythat the part B may be depressed into a horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3, and the couch will be transformed into a bed.

It will be seen that by reason of the back C being hinged to the rear edge of the seat B so that it can be let fall backward until its upholstered surface is on a level with the seat, a triangular notch will be left at the end of the davenport, when the back stands tus. To do this, first secure plate or filler to the end of the back C and the seat B cutting away some of the filler to leave room for the distance-rod to operate freely, and over this filler I lit a plate 20 that will cover not only the part cut away for the distancerod to work in but extend it downward below the termination of the back suflicient to cover the triangle between the seat and the back, thus producing a neat and desirable appearance. This plate is secured to the ends. of the back C after the distance-rods are secured permanently in place. Vhen t-he davenport is finished the mask plates 20 are made to conform with the upholstery or frame of the structure. When the seat B and the back C are in a horizontal position the lower portion of the plates or masks project over the ends of the seat B and are out of the way and safe. l

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

In a bed couch, a basal frame, a seat member, a back member pivoted thereto, means to retain the seat and back members at right angles, said means comprising a pair of arms pivoted together, one of said arms being fixed to the back member and the other arm having a notch extending parallel with the seat end, and a guide on the seat coperating with said other arm within which guide the said last-named arm may tilt to engage or disengage.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

J CHN HOEY.

1Witnesses G. H. STRONG, CHARLES EDELMAN.

each, byraddressng the Commissioner of Patents, Y 

